Raman and Federal Prosecutor Clash Over ICE at Los Angeles Hospital
The dispute followed a Friday, November 7, incident at White Memorial Medical Center. Federal immigration agents brought a detainee to the emergency department for medical care, Essayli said, explaining that the person had asked to see a doctor. Hospital officials said agents blocked the ambulance entrance for about two hours, prompting emergency vehicles to be redirected.
Raman condemned the agents’ conduct, saying they obstructed emergency-room access and detained two U.S. citizens. She also joined demonstrators outside the hospital on November 8, where she voiced opposition to immigration raids and called for ICE to leave Boyle Heights and Los Angeles. Outgoing Mayor Karen Bass separately urged the administration to stop immigration enforcement in and around health facilities.
Essayli defended the agents and said protesters created a dangerous situation. He said law enforcement arrested two people for assaulting federal agents, and argued that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility beyond the mayor’s authority. He also criticized Raman’s comments about immigrants, urging her to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration. The exchange points to an early rift pitting Los Angeles’ future mayor against federal authorities on immigration control in the city.
Hospital Access Must Come Before Trump’s Immigration Raids
The confrontation at White Memorial Medical Center raises a basic question for Los Angeles: whether patients and emergency services can be kept clear of immigration enforcement. Hospital officials said federal agents blocked the ambulance entrance for about two hours on November 7, forcing emergency vehicles to be redirected.
Mayor-elect Nithya Raman said agents obstructed emergency-room access and detained two U.S. citizens. On November 8, she joined demonstrators outside the hospital to oppose immigration raids and call for ICE to leave the city. Outgoing Mayor Karen Bass also called for immigration enforcement to stop in and around health care facilities.
Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli defended the agents, saying they had brought a detainee seeking medical care and that protesters created a dangerous situation. He said two people were arrested for assaulting federal agents and insisted immigration enforcement is beyond a mayor’s authority. But invoking federal power does not answer the public concern Raman raised: people should be able to reach medical care without fear or blocked emergency access. The dispute foreshadows a clash between Los Angeles’ incoming leadership and federal immigration officials.
Raman Attacks Federal Agents After They Took Detainee for Care
Federal agents brought a detainee who had requested medical attention to White Memorial Medical Center on November 7. Yet Mayor-elect Nithya Raman condemned the operation, saying agents obstructed emergency-room access and detained two U.S. citizens. Her attack came before she has taken office and has already sharpened tensions with federal officials.
Essayli said protesters created a dangerous situation and that two people were arrested for assaulting federal agents. He defended the agents’ effort to get the detainee medical care and reminded Raman that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, not a matter for the mayor to direct. He also urged her to distinguish legal from illegal immigration.
The hospital said agents blocked the ambulance entrance for about two hours, requiring emergency vehicles to be rerouted. That fact deserves attention, but it does not erase the account Essayli gave of why agents were at the hospital or the reported assaults. Raman joined demonstrators on November 8 and called for ICE to leave Los Angeles, while outgoing Mayor Karen Bass urged a halt to enforcement around health facilities. The exchange previews an incoming mayor’s resistance to federal immigration enforcement.
Reported by PJ Media, New York Post.
